As children, everything around us is new and we are eager to dream big, make wishes, and take chances. The night sky is alit with twinkling opportunities to boldly cast our desires to the heavens as we wish upon stars. We believe those wishes...every last dream...will come true.
As time passes and we journey into adulthood, that unbridled eagerness more often than not gives way to caution. Our untarnished wonder at all the opportunities life has to offer begins to fade. We get caught up in the everyday chores and responsibilities of adulthood, and surrender to the familiarity of a daily routine. Children need to be fed, laundry sits in unsorted heaps along the floor, and the lawn is so tall it threatens to overtake the house.
Energy is zapped; the soul cries out and creativity weeps. Who has time for wishes, dreams and taking chances?
Life goes on, and days roll into weeks and months, and sometimes even years. If and when the opportunity arises for an afternoon outside of our routine, the body is so drained than an inner battle ensues...how should that time be spent?
Spend it by taking a trip back to the carefree days of childhood. Take a long walk to brush away the cobwebs from your mind and to let in the light. Savor the little things...the sweet scent of lilac, wispy cloud pictures along a cerulean sky, and the kiss of a warm breeze on your cheek. Allow your mind to wander and dream as if you were a child again. Make a wish or two, and believe they will come true.
Then, act on those wishes and make them come true. Feel creativity return like a wash of sunlight over vast, green fields just ready for sowing. Plant seeds and watch them bloom into beautiful flowers. Then pluck a fragrant bloom or two--or an entire bouquet--and carry the blossoms home to remind you to keep a bit of childlike zest alive inside...to wish, to dream, and to never stop taking chances.
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With a father known as the town drunk and a mother who fled when he was only six, Ryder learned early on that the world can be a cold, unforgiving place. Only two people in his life have ever understood him: "Mama" Stallings and sweet Ali Maclaren. But after a tragic accident, guilt chases Ryder from the town that's labeled him trouble, and from Ali.
Seven years later Ryder returns after Mama Stallings's death and finds that Ali is considering marriage to a man with a mean streak he masterfully hides from all but Ryder, a man who'll do whatever's necessary to remove Ryder from Willow Lake, and Ali's life, forever.
Can Ali find a way to forgive Ryder and can Ryder forgive himself before another tragedy occurs?
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Mary Manners is an award-winning romance author who lives at the beautiful shores of Jax Beach with her husband, Tim. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and ocean-blue sunsets.
Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.
Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com
